Bill filed in Austin mimics Arizona's

AUSTIN - The start of the 82nd Texas Legislature is still two months away, but the pre-filing of bills period started Monday and, as promised, Rep. Debbie Riddle filed a bill similar to an Arizona law that allows police to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

The Tomball Republican, who filed similar bills in previous sessions only to see them killed, also filed a bill that would require Texas voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot.

"My constituents want to see that their representative is just as serious about getting the job done this session as they are," Riddle said in reference to her House bills 16 and 17 and six other legislative proposals she filed when the House clerk's office opened Monday morning.

By the end of the business day, members and members-elect of the House and Senate filed nearly 400 bills and resolutions and, judging by what was filed, the historic Republican-majority in the House is gearing up for a very conservative legislative agenda.

The bills and resolutions ranged from allowing Texans with concealed handgun licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses to calling for a U.S. constitutional convention that would require a balanced federal budget and making English the state's official language.

"An individual should not have to choose between the personal right of self-protection and obtaining an education," East Texas Rep.-elect David Simpson said regarding his HB 86. "In light of the recent incidence of gunfire on the University of Texas campus, this legislation is overdue."

But Marsha McCartney, president of the North Texas Brady Campaign, a nationwide anti-gun group, said she doesn't expect much support for Simpson's proposal.

"School presidents, administrators and most students are going to come out against it, just like they did in the last session when a similar bill was filed," McCartney said.

Simpson, R-Longview, also authored a bill that would prohibit the state government from funding abortion or abortion-related services.

Rep. Jessica Farrar of Houston, leader of the House Democrats, said that, unlike previous sessions when the chamber was almost evenly divided along party lines, it would be hard for Democrats to stop anti-illegal immigration bills conservative Republicans like Riddle file.

"We won't have the votes," Farrar said in reference to last week's historic election when voters across the state ousted 22 Democrats, giving the Republicans a 99-51 majority for the next legislative session compared to 77-73 now.

Farrar said she hopes that influential groups like the Texas Association of Business will help derail the anti-illegal immigration bills, just like they have done in previous sessions. In the 2007 session association president Bill Hammond publicly called for the killing of similar proposals filed by Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler.

Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said that although bills Riddle, Berman and other conservative legislators file are expected to draw a lot of attention, they will fail even if the Legislature passes them.

"They won't survive a court challenge, just like the Arizona bill," Martinez Fischer predicted. "Now, if we are going to face a shortfall of more than $20 billion, does it make sense to spend millions of dollars defending those bills in court? I don't think so and I think most Republicans will see it that way, too."

But conservatives such as Riddle said the momentum is on their side, especially with the controversial voter ID proposal that was killed in the 2007 and again in last year's session.

"Voter ID has got to be one of the top priorities of the Legislature this session." Riddle said. "It passed in the House two session ago and was stalled by politics in the Senate. It passed in the Senate last year and then was stalled by politics in the House. There are no more excuses left this time around."